Tobacco Tactical The Dead Conqueror Alexander the Great

Most people believe that history is a series of Great Men doing Great Things, whereas in reality, it is usually a series of confused men trying to stay warm and hoping the next hill doesn’t have any more barbarians on it. This brings us to the Tobacco Tactical The Dead Conqueror Alexander the Great. It is a name that suggests you could use the object to signal a legion or possibly bludgeon a Persian satrap into submission. It is a collaborative effort between the Every Day Carry enthusiasts (those people who feel unprepared for life without three types of pliers on their belt) and the sort of people who believe a cigar should have the same structural integrity as a main battle tank.

It is a 6x52 Toro. This is a size that says "I have at least an hour to ignore my responsibilities" in a very loud, commanding voice. The wrapper is a Mexican San Andres Maduro. It looks rugged. It is toothy and dark. It has the matte finish of a piece of equipment that is waterproof up to fifty meters, even though tobacco is notoriously averse to being submerged.

The blending was handled by Chico Rivas. He is a man who understands tobacco leaves the way a master locksmith understands a door. He treats the Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers like components in a delicate, ticking timepiece. Despite the "tactical" branding, which usually implies the subtlety of a brick through a window, the smoke is surprisingly sophisticated.

The first third is a lesson in dry cocoa and espresso. It is not the oily, sugary sweetness of a common Maduro. It is a reserved, scholarly sweetness. It is the flavor of a library where all the books are bound in dark leather and someone has recently spilled a very good coffee. Then it shifts. It becomes creamy. This is the million-to-one shot of blending. You expect a punch to the jaw from a cigar named after a conqueror, but instead you get a thoughtful conversation about logistics.

In the final third, a "zing" of white pepper appears. It is a clean, sharp spice. It is the sort of spice that reminds you that you are, in fact, smoking a fire-lit stick and not just inhaling a particularly expensive dessert. The construction is immaculate. The ash is a solid, stubborn grey that refuses to fall until it is good and ready.

The social theater of the "Drop Culture" means these cigars are rarer than a politician’s honest apology. People wait for them with the kind of intensity usually reserved for the end of the world or a half-price sale on heavy-duty flashlights. It is a curious human trait to want something more simply because you are told you cannot have it. The Dead Conqueror Alexander the Great is a remarkable smoke that proves you can dress a sophisticated Dominican blend in a camouflage jacket and it will still have the manners of a gentleman. It is a fine companion for a Sunday afternoon, even if your only conquest is the pile of laundry in the corner of the room.